Central Banks
Three-way split underlines Bank's dilemma
The Bank of England's April vote saw members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) backing three separate options for the first time since May 2006, minutes of the meeting published on Wednesday reveal.
Australian inflation hits seven-year high
Australian inflation soared to its highest level since June 2001, raising expectations that the country's Reserve Bank will be forced to hike rates again next month.
Trinidad's Williams: prepare for inflation wave
Trinidadian inflation is set to surpass the 10% mark in the coming months, Ewart Williams, the governor of the central bank, warned.
Canada cuts rates half a point
The Bank of Canada lowered rates to 3% on Tuesday, a move in line with market expectations.
Papua New Guinea issues new notes for anniversary
The Bank of Papua New Guinea has introduced two new polymer banknotes to commemorate 33 years of the Kina and Toea currencies.
Ukraine raises rate 200 basis points on price fear
The National Bank of Ukraine hiked its discount rate from 10% to 12% on Monday in a bid to temper inflation.
Does good governance improve performance?
Research published by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve finds no statistically significant relationship between a central bank's organisational structure and its performance.
BoE must remain focused on inflation
Monetary policy in the UK ought to remain focused on achieving price stability as defined by the inflation target, Tim Besley, a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee, has said.
Research uncovers predictors of financial stress
A combination of credit and asset price variables can serve to predict financial stress, research published by the Bank of Canada finds.
ECB comments push euro to fresh high
The euro surpassed the $1.60 mark for the first time in its history after European Central Bank (ECB) officials said they would act to contain rising inflation.
Three signs of financial vulnerability
New research published by the International Monetary Fund has highlighted three factors which can exacerbate emerging and developing economies' vulnerability to financial crises.
BoE brokers MBS swap to ease tensions
The Bank of England will swap mortgage-backed securities for government bonds in a move which the Bank expects to generate £50 billion ($100 billion) worth of borrowing.
RBA oultines changes for payment system
The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced a raft of recommendations for the country's payments systems industry aimed at enhancing competition.
Mexico holds rates at 7.5%
The Bank of Mexico kept its benchmark one-day interbank rate at 7.5% for the sixth-straight month despite expectations that the US slowdown would impact Mexican growth.
Turkish inflation to exceed target this year
Turkish inflation is likely to be above the central bank's 4% target in 2008 unless there is a drastic slowdown in agflation.
Turkey holds rates, signals tightening
The Central Bank of Turkey held rates for the second-straight month on Thursday but indicated that it was more likely to raise, than reduce, borrowing costs in May.
Buba's Weber paves way for rate hike
Axel Weber, the president of the Bundesbank, has said that the European Central Bank (ECB) must "act with determination" if the recent rise in inflation begins to impact wage settlements.
Fed dissenter warns against "inflation remedy"
Richard Fisher, the president of the Dallas Federal Reserve and a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), has said that he remains strongly reluctant to cut rates.
Stop the press: ex-CNB deputy joins Czech weekly
Ludek Niedermayer, a former deputy governor at the Czech National Bank, is to work with Respekt, a weekly newspaper.
Chief economist underlines BoE's "tricky" task
The juxtaposition of the recent shocks to both inflation and growth makes the task of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee particularly tricky, Charlie Bean, the Bank's chief economist, noted.
RBI hikes reserve ratio on back of price fears
The Reserve Bank of India has taken emergency steps to tackle burgeoning inflation just 12 days before its scheduled monetary policy meeting.
Canadian inflation falls for fourth straight month
Core inflation in Canada slumped to 1.4% in the 12 months to March, heightening expectations of a rate cut next week.
Brazil exceeds expectations with half-point hike
The Central Bank of Brazil raised rates by half a point on Wednesday to 11.75%, a move which surprised most analysts.
China raises reserve ratio
The People's Bank of China made a fresh bid to slow the country's overheating economy on Thursday, raising its reserve requirement ratio for the third time this year.